A deadly dog disease known as Alabama Rot is quickly spreading across parts of Britain. At this time veterinarians in the area only have theories about where the disease is stemming from and how dogs are being infected. What they do know, is this disease is fatal and even if caught early, the prognosis for recovery is slim-to-none.
Alabama Rot was first discovered in the late 1980s in Greyhounds in America. At the time it was believed to only affect this breed; however, through further research, Alabama Rot has been known to affect all breeds of dogs, with no preference to age or gender.
Today this mysterious disease has now been found in Midland, Wales, Lancashire, Dorset, Kent, Scotland and Ireland. The death toll has reached 78 with vets predicting more to come.
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Since many pet parents are unfamiliar with the symptoms of Alabama Rot, they most often pass off the symptoms in their canine as something else. This is a grave error as the disease's progression is rapid and aggressive.
Most dogs succumb within days of the first appearance of symptoms, which include skin lesions and ulcers or open wounds that progress quickly.
The dog will then go into kidney failure; showing signs of fatigue, loss of appetite and vomiting. Veterinarians are warning pet parents to bring their dog in if he exhibits any of these signs. Although, there has been no definite cause of Alabama Rot identified yet, David Walker, from Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists in Winchester, Hampshire, believes it may be coming from the environment and possibly through being ingested.
This could be due to toxins caused by the E coli bacteria or even a parasite. For these reasons, experts are warning pet parents to take extra precautions when walking their dogs. They strongly suggest avoiding wooded areas and particularly those with muddy marshes.
If your dog does come in contact with mud, wash off his paws as soon as possible. In addition, veterinarians are also suggesting pet parents thoroughly wash their dogs after each walk, just to be on the safe side.
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Although, we as concerned animal lovers may be in a panic thinking we can never let our pooches out to play again, vets strongly advise against that line-of-defense. Avoidance of possible problem and infected areas is the best mode-of-operation. And of course, if your dog shows any signs of illness, it is always best to seek medical attention immediately.
We love our dogs and want to keep them safe. Let's be proactive together in combating Alabama Rot so there won't be anymore losses of our canine companions.
